The present invention relates to a contact detecting and signaling device.
In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a device for detecting and signaling skin contact (direct or indirect, e.g. via a tool, such as a pair of scissors or the overall) between two parties, e.g. a physician and patient.
Numerous medical activities, such as operations, dental work, or routine surgery work (infectious or not) are known to demand certain precautions, such as the use of gloves, to safeguard both parties (physician and patient) against infection caused by direct skin contact.
The use of gloves, however, has not proved a hundred percent reliable in preventing the transmission of germs or similar. In the course of an operation, in fact, any porosity or even minor inadvertent puncturing of the gloves results in contact between the patient's blood and the skin of the surgeon, with obvious consequences, particularly in the case of operations lasting several hours.
Additional risk is also encountered at the medication stage, at which the patient is attended by the physician or nurse for long periods of time, and with the aid of instruments (syringes, scissors, etc.) by which the gloves may easily be punctured.
Nor is the above situation limited to the medical field. Certain machine operators are also required to wear gloves, any porosity or puncturing of one or both of which, if not detected immediately, may result in serious consequences for the operator.